The team of 10 professional black organizations – known as MPAC – celebrated their 5th annual Nothing but Networking event last Thursday at Lush in Midtown.
The popular gala packed the three-tier club with men and women in suits and dresses as they networked, socialized and watched Mizzou beat Memphis in the NCAA regional showdown.
Nothing but Networking swiped its name from the basketball term “nothing but net,” since the annual event takes place during March Madness basketball tourneys.
Though Mizzou’s win made the night sweeter, 100 Black Men president John Haigler – one of the event’s organizers – cheered the number of people attending.
“We’re going to have to find a larger place,” Haigler said. “We’re outgrowing places like this.”
Last year, the event was held at the Loft, across the street and a half block west of Lush.
This was the first year that Alana Sutton attended the event, and she got exactly what she came for – to reconnect with the Association of Black Accountants, an organization that she was apart of in undergrad.
“I spoke with the president and a couple members and I have since been added to the listserv and will be attending the next meeting,” said Sutton, a manager general accounting for Nestle Purina PetCare North America.
Sutton said she also attended the event to meet some new professionals in the area and expand her network since so many professional organizations are represented.
Along with 100 Black Men and the Association of Black Accountants, MPAC includes Black MBAs, NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers), National Association of African Americans in Human Resources, Association of African American Sales Professionals, Black Data Processors Association, Urban League Young Professionals, St. Louis Financial Services Coalition and St. Louis Association of Real Estate Professionals.
A rep from each organization addresses the crowd and staffs a booth complete with literature, which made the evening convenient for Cheryl A. Starck, a Quality Management rep for Express Scripts.
“I came to learn more about the different black organizations,” said Starck, noting the enormous turnout.
Starck came along with a two colleagues from Express Scripts.
Lita M. Pener, a senior manager in quality training at Express Scripts, said the company is seeking qualified professionals and that the event was a good place for her to connect with people.
“We’re in a tight economy and the position I hold is in training and development, so I’m looking for good people to come on board,” Pener said.
“If there was a potential match, I could let them know what to do in terms of coming on board with our company,” added Pener.
While Pener is outgoing and quick to approach people for networking, she played the event’s Bingo game, which is designed to help attendees network. In Networking Bingo, players have to fill in their sheet by asking attendees questions that appear on the board.
Three of the questions were: “Do you own your own business?” “Do you serve on a board of directors” and “Have you traveled to Africa?”
“I don’t need it to approach people, but some people do, so I think it’s a good tool to get people talking,” Pener said.
